somewhere, is it really important for him to talk to you right now? He's going through an eval now, for possible 2e issues - I think there are concerns about possible stealth dyslexia or dysgraphia? What about just letting go of trying to get him to talk until you're through the eval? Here's why I would approach it from that direction -
DS7 has never been a talker. He doesn't have any speech issues.
This is just a guess on my part, but I'm guessing by "speech" issues you're referring to articulation/pronunciation/etc. It's possible your ds *might* have expressive language challenges. I'm not saying he *does*, just that the lack of interest in talking *could* be an indication of an expressive language disorder.
He continues to refuse to go to school. I know why (bored to tears) and we are in the middle of having him assessed for a grade skip and 2E issues.
Boredom with what's taught at school is most likely very real for your ds, but I wouldn't automatically assume that's the only issue going on. You've noticed enough reason for concern about possible 2e issues that you're having him assessed.
I am also noticing that he is exhibiting odd behavior for him (ex. not wanting to touch his grandmother's sweater when she hands it to him or screaming his head off when he has unknowingly stumbled upon a timed game on mathplayground.com).
One thing that happened to my 2e ds, at around this same age was that his undiagnosed 2e challenges were causing him a ton of stress at school but no one (including my ds) had any clue what was going on. Leaving him in that situation caused an extreme amount of anxiety and stress to build up, and he started getting anxious about totally unrelated things, including things at home. It's possible what you are seeing are signs of anxiety, but the actual source of the anxiety is not the specific situation it overflows into.
Does anyone have any method that works to get a kid to talk about what he is experiencing?
It sounds like you're hoping to get some answers to better understand what's going on by talking to your ds. It's possible he really doesn't understand what's going on, and the lack of "talk" is more a lack of not having a clue what to say or not understanding why you are asking whatever questions you're asking. It might also be a sign that he's stressed about school, for instance, and therefore when you ask about school, he's scared or doesn't want to talk about it. For now, I'd skip trying to get this type of information and just concentrate on asking him questions about easy subjects, things he likes etc.
Best wishes,
polarbear
